Discusses the promotion of language and literacy skills in young children through the use of computers. Describes specific courseware that can be used to develop vocabulary and writing skills. Includes sample lessons that demonstrate how courseware can be effectively integrated into a school curriculum and provides a checklist for teachers to use…

This study investigated the technical adequacy of 7 objective indexes of writing quality in monitoring the progress of 36 middle school students with mild disabilities over a 6-month period. Three indexes (such as "percent of legible words") were moderately correlated with holistic ratings but were not sufficiently stable over time. (Author/JDD)

Discussion of literacy for the twenty-first century focuses on the Norristown (Pennsylvania) Area School District (NASD), where a restructured curriculum stresses thinking and communication skills. Sidebars introduce electronic books, recommend language learning software, describe six state literacy reform initiatives, and describe professional…

Analyzes discourse features of compositions written in Spanish by secondary school students in Mexico, draws comparisons with those written in English by Anglo-American students in the United States, and discusses the implications of the results for teaching and evaluating composition skills in Spanish language programs. (29 references) (GLR)

A graduate university workshop on action research helped kindergarten through twelfth grade teachers improve their approach to teaching writing. The article examines classroom research as staff development and introduces one action research plan, giving an example of one teacher's use of the plan to improve instructional writing practice. (SM)

Describes how the Civic Achievement Award Program, a new initiative of the Close Up Foundation, combines reading, writing, research, and community service in teaching citizenship to fifth through eighth grade students. (PRA)

Defines some of the minimal conditions for effective instruction in reasoning and rhetoric. Argues that instructors must take account of the learner, pay regard to the cultural embeddedness of knowledge and the means by which that knowledge is assessed and transmitted. (PRA)

Describes a study of the attitudes toward writing and self-evaluation of writing skills of 78 allied health students. Reports negative attitudes toward the writing process and skills deficiencies. Advocates incorporating writing into science course curriculum. (PAA)

Compares the quality and syntactic complexity of 2 types of essays written by 44 college freshmen in a basic writing course. Essays dealing with group-phenomenon events (intensification) had more words per clause, but received lower quality scores than essays dealing with individually experienced events (initiation). (PAA)

Examination of the first language (Japanese or Chinese) and second-language reading and writing abilities of adult English-as-a-Second-Language learners indicated that literacy skills could transfer across the first and second languages, although the pattern of transfer varied for the subjects. Reading ability appeared to transfer more easily than…

Discusses the advantages to considering writing an integral part of learning English as a Second Language at all grade levels, offering a day-by-day lesson sequence on the topic of courage that affords ample opportunity for writing and for class discussion to share and evaluate the writing. Suggestions for each day's classwork are followed by a…

Discusses the many reasons to use the Internet in English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms, including increased student motivation, authentic language use, global awareness, and environmental friendliness (decreased use of paper). Examines two popular features of the Internet (electronic mail and the World Wide Web), presenting projects that can…

Describes the use of student-developed rubrics, conferencing, and reflective journaling to improve writing skills in a third-grade classroom. A rubric--a written tool used to authentically assess a piece of work--lists criteria for the work and includes a system for evaluating each criteria. Rubrics enabled the students to evaluate their own work…

Discusses new technologies, applications, and computer software programs available for use in the instruction of developmental writing programs. Describes programs that function as multimedia writing "coaches" and model the writing process, collaborative writing tools that stimulate written conversations, and grammar and bibliographic tutors. (SJL)

Examines current writing and communication standards in 52 top-ranked undergraduate business schools, including kinds of requirements in effect, number of courses involved, the institutional home of these courses (business school or liberal arts department), and major skills stressed. (SR)